Any retired Apollo 800 Flybuddy Lorans?

Also consider getting a GX55 moving map gps with a altitude serializer if
indeed you have a Flybuddy 800 only and can not use a data card.


I have the 800 Plus with the card, and last year wanted to get a GX55
when they were so cheap, but the FSDO down here would not approve
installation by any A&P/IA on a 337 follow-on appoval, not even this
dirt-simple slide-in box swap / antenna swap for VFR-only operation
unless it was done by one of the certificated repair stations in the
area, all of whom refused to install any unit not sold by them. Of
course they all wanted about a thousand dollars mark-up over what you
could buy one for online. Now the purchase price is back up to around
$2700, and this unit is simply not worth that much. It's only
certifiable for IFR enroute ops, no approach and for that price range
you can get a rebuilt Garmin or King unit that is approach
certifiable. Probably the thing to do these days if you have a small,
simple plane is just to rip out the old Loran once it truly becomes
dead weight, and subtract it from your W&B and spend a grand on a
brand new GPS-196 instead. With the takeover of UPSAT by Garmin, I
would still be leary of buying any of the Apollo products anymore
(except the new CNX80), since the possibility that they will be
prematurely forced end-of-life still exists.

The manual just says 800 but there is a page on Optional Datacards. "Flybuddy
Plus is the datacard option and is available as an upgrade for Flybuddy
pilots."

Our unit has a datacard slot in the front and there is something in it but it
may just be a cover or blank plug. Nothing that it says would be on an
optional datacard is active.

Could the data card slot be there and internal components required to read it
missing i.e., part of the upgrade referred to in the manual?

This unit does a fine job for the simple airspace we mostly fly in. I'd like
to put off a GPS purchase for a couple years but it would be nice to have a
database that doesn't predate the change in identifiers of many airports.

Purchasing a more recent plus version for $150 and swapping it in sounds like
a good option to me, thus my original post. I guess I'll look around on Ebay.


Roger:
It sounds like you are describing a Flybuddy 800 only, no data card and data
card reader, and a plug to cover the data card slot.

Look at the back of the unit, does it say "Flybuddy 800+" or not?

I really can't see any incentive for Garmin AT to offer an upgrade from the
Flybuddy 800 to the 800+, especially since the manufacturing costs exceeds 2/3
of what the Apollo GX55 sells for.

If you can find a Flybuddy 800+ on www.ebay.com for $150 or whatever that is
great. You could also try the www.bennettavionics, wentworth salvage, and
others to see if they have a unit on inventory.

The Northstar M1A or M2 would also do quite well but that would involve
installation dollars. I gather that you are in no position of doing anything
for more than $200, which would certainly rule out my daily fee.


paul k. sanchez, cfii-mei
on eagles’ wings
2011 south perimeter road, suite g
fort lauderdale, florida 33309-7135
305-389-1742 wireless
954-776-0527 fax
954-965-8329 home/fax

We still have one of these and it works great in the simple airspace we fly
in. Also good backup for the handheld GPS. The database is very old however.
Does anyone out there have one of these that they have retired? I'd like to get
a more recent database card?
--
Roger Long

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...egory=26436&it
em=2430886485


paul k. sanchez, cfii-mei
on eagles’ wings
2011 south perimeter road, suite g
fort lauderdale, florida 33309-7135
305-389-1742 wireless
954-776-0527 fax
954-965-8329 home/fax